![]() ![]() The author’s deep understanding of 18th-century social life shines through and makes this a compelling read – even for those coming to the subject for the very first time. Over the course of nearly 500 pages, Hallett paints a vivid picture of Reynolds’ persona, revealing how he used his social attributes to his professional advantage while negotiating interactions with both clients and fellow portrait painters in the lively milieu of the London art world. It seems fitting then, for a figure of such art historical clout, that Professor Mark Hallett’s monograph of Reynolds takes shape through this handsome and sizeable tome. Today, his paintings take pride of place in country houses, museums and galleries across the world, and have been the subject of numerous exhibitions and scholarly studies. He received commissions from the highest echelons of society, became Principal Painter to George III, and gained widespread fame through the mass distribution of prints after his work. Through his Discourses, delivered at the Academy, he critically influenced the theoretical ideas of his students and peers. ![]() As the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, he did more than anyone of his generation to raise the status of painting in Britain. From provincial beginnings in Plympton, Devon, Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–92) became one of 18th-century Britain’s most influential portrait painters. ![]()
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